There are so many things to do in Ubud that when I was backpacking in Bali I instantly felt in love with the place as for me it has a wonderful combination of traditional places, beautiful nature, friendly locals and a thriving expat community so it\u2019s no wonder there are so many digital nomads moving there.<\/p>\n
From cheap local restaurants to cool bars with live music, I really enjoyed the vibes here and it\u2019s one of those rare places where I could easily see myself living there.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for a place to stay in Ubud you will definitely be spoilt for choice, when I first arrived to Ubud I wanted to be out of the busy town centre so I stayed in Umah Nik Kepitu<\/a><\/strong> which is some 10min away by scooter and really loved it. It\u2019s a bit out of town but that allows you to go walking by the rice fields right from your room! The family there was also super friendly and I had some lovely conversations with Nyoman who took the time to explain many things about Bali. The gardens in the guesthouse are also beautiful.<\/p>\n After staying there, I moved for a few more days closer to the centre and spent a few nights at Leket House<\/a><\/strong>, although it\u2019s quite common in Ubud and elsewhere in Bali, it\u2019s pretty cool to be inside a family temple in your own guesthouse.<\/p>\n In Ubud you don\u2019t really need to join any tours<\/a><\/strong>, as long as you\u2019re able to ride a scooter safely, rent one and you will be able to explore the region at your leisure. There are indeed lots of things to do in Ubud but many of them are very touristy and can be crowded.<\/p>\n The most popular waterfalls <\/a><\/strong>in the region around Ubud can be really busy and they have built so many things around them that is almost a waterfall version of a theme park. Which is the case in Tegenungan Blangsinga Waterfall, where the fall itself is cool but they have developed a kind of resort just next to it that makes it feel anything but natural.<\/p>\n Instead, go to Manuaba Waterfall, I got it recommended by my host at Umah Nik Kepitu<\/a><\/strong> and really loved it! I saw only 2 other people on my time there. The walk consists of a loop that takes you through two waterfalls, you can only swim in the second waterfall.<\/p>\n It was great to walk behind the waterfall itself and slowly approach the strong water coming down which can even hurt you if you\u2019re not careful! After a nice time admiring the power of nature, you finish the loop by walking by the river itself. It\u2019s not deep at all and you can take your shoes off as it\u2019s easy to walk.<\/p>\n This is likely the most associated image with Ubud, the rice fields. There are some areas where it\u2019s proper touristy, such as in Tegallalang rice fields, I still liked it though. You will find plenty of coffee shops and restaurants with beautiful views of the terraces. You can also walk around the fields as part of a tour<\/a><\/strong> but depending on where your accommodation is located, you can walk lots of rice fields at your own leisure and for free, I did so when I was staying at Umah Nik Kepitu.<\/p>\n This was a really beautiful and deep experience for me. Tirta Empul is one of the most important temples in Bali and although most of them have areas that are restricted for only the locals to access, this is a ritual that you can take on your own.<\/p>\n The entrance to Tirta Empul costs 50k IDR, and they give you the traditional sarong to be able to access the temple. To take part in the water purification ritual you need to rent a second sarong for 10k IDR, there are lockers to keep your belongings as well that you can rent for 15k IDR.<\/p>\n There are tour guides around but I got all the explanation on what to do from a local so it\u2019s not really necessary to pay extra unless you want to hear more stories of the temple.<\/p>\n I won\u2019t explain in detail the entire ritual but I can recommend you to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds. This was one of those places where I felt a special energy, it was really magical and hard to explain in words. If you still prefer to go with a tour where they pick you up from your accommodation in Ubud, then here\u2019s a well recommended and well-priced tour to Tirta Empul<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n This is another famous place to visit but as if with Tirta Empul you go early to beat the crowds you will be able to enjoy this unusual temple. There are some short trails to walk around the temple as well and you will find a waterfall and walk down to the river itself which was really peaceful when I went.<\/p>\n Among all the walking around, do not miss going into one of the many massage parlours that are all over Ubud. Some are really nice and you can get a 1-hour full body massage for about \u00a35 which is one of my favourite things to do when I\u2019m backpacking in most of Asia.<\/p>\n Among all the trendy restaurants targeting digital nomads you will still be able to find lots of traditional restaurants. Some of them got some fame by now (such as Sun Sun Warung<\/a><\/strong>) but even with that the prices are still affordable. I also liked Sugriwa\u2019s Warung as they were playing traditional music when I went.<\/p>\n There are lots of places where you can go for a cooking class in Ubud, they vary in prices but for about \u00a320 you can have a class where you cook at least 5 dishes and if you pick a morning class you can also go to the market with them to buy all the ingredients. My class was with Beras Bali Cooking<\/a><\/strong> and was excellent. They even pick you up and drop you back at your accommodation.<\/p>\n The bustling centre of Ubud is full of bars and restaurants where live music can be easily found. Although there\u2019s a lot of your regular famous western singing, it\u2019s also possible to find traditional music.<\/p>\n This short walk of about 2Km allows you to quickly move from the chaos and traffic of Ubud centre as it\u2019s easily reachable. There\u2019s a very cool point right at the beginning (from the south) where you can see two rivers merging into each other so keep an eye for that when you\u2019re crossing the bridge that goes to the Pura Gunung Leah temple.<\/p>\n The walk is fairly easy and you will find a few places to grab a drink with views of the surrounding terraces.<\/p>\n Possibly the most ubiquitous sight all over Bali are its temples. There are over 10,000 of them! And each house has a temple themselves, that\u2019s why it\u2019s common to find guesthouses, restaurants and massage parlours within a temple.<\/p>\n Just wandering around Ubud you will find some more spectacular than others such as Pure Taman Kemuda Sarawasti right in the middle of Ubud. Beware that most temples have restricted areas only for the locals so be respectful of Balinese culture and keep an eye for those signs.<\/p>\n Yes, technically this is a bit out of Ubud but you can\u2019t go to Bali and not go to the beach and this one is a really quiet one some 30min away by scooter. It was certainly not my favourite beach as I prefer the ones in Uluwatu, but Sanur beach is simply closer to Ubud so it helps if you want to improvise a beach day, you can even go dinghy sailing there!<\/p>\n I rode the scooter for about 60min from Ubud to Bedugul as I wanted to do some hiking. Bedugul sits next to Beratan lake which is the second largest on the island and its elevation can make it feel \u201ccold\u201d as my guesthouse host in Ubud said it would be, it was cold compared to Ubud but don\u2019t expect to need a coat. The coldish weather makes this part of Bali famous for its strawberries so make sure to try some.<\/p>\n The hike I improvised in Gunung Tatur (a surrounding mountain opposite to Bedugur across the lake) was good fund, feeling very wild and with no people around at all. If you hike in Bedugul though, make sure to know what to do when leeches attack<\/a>!<\/p>\n Bedugul is also home to the botanical gardens and one of the most picturesque temples in Bali: Ulun Dani Beratan<\/a><\/strong> which is a place included in most of the tours that go from Ubud towards the north of the island and Mt Batur.<\/p>\n![\"temple](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/54CDD154-D910-4369-89A6-8C853D7C21CD_1_105_c.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThese are some of my favourite things to do in Ubud when you\u2019re backpacking in Bali<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Go to Manuaba Waterfall<\/h2>\n
![\"things](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/44E741D9-6714-495D-83BD-3BD8C3D75BB0_1_105_c.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nExplore the rice fields<\/h2>\n
![\"ubud](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1BCEB589-B99A-40A3-B021-C367F0EA7A34_1_105_c.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nDo the water purification ritual at Tirta Empul<\/h2>\n
![\"water](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/3D3FF2F7-6A9F-47BC-BCAD-0FAAB4EC0260_1_105_c.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nVisit Goa Temple<\/h2>\n
![\"goa](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/5B2FA046-23F8-4CA9-B788-698BF8A0F0D5_1_105_c.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGo for a massage<\/h2>\n
Eat, eat, eat!<\/h2>\n
Learn how to cook traditional Balinese food<\/h2>\n
![\"balinese](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/320F2F6F-8BB3-408F-B146-31DDAF4B0BDD_1_105_c-576x1024.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nExplore the live music scene<\/h2>\n
See the sunset by the Campuhan Ridge Walk<\/h2>\n
Visit temples<\/h2>\n
![\"temple](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/E2227F4A-CE9B-4677-8C65-8DAE7BD3D856_1_105_c.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGo to Sanur Beach<\/h2>\n
Take a ride to Bedugul<\/h2>\n
![\"travel](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/8527F453-75BE-47D4-9E4E-E8E6DF5B1312_1_105_c.jpeg\")
![\"waterfall](\"https:\/\/planetofadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/25FCF339-04D1-43BA-965D-9D2363C90D2F_1_105_c.jpeg\")